Il segreto di Otello

Right in the courtyard of a roman palace, just next to the Spanish Steps, lies an old and unique restaurant. Immediately after WWII, a group of young directors and screenwriters took on the habit of meeting there. The 'trattoria' of Nora and Otello soon became the home and office of the likes of Fellini, Pasolini, De Bernardi and many others. In the years to come among those very tables they would conceive and write down some of the most beautiful pages of that period of cinema that spawned 'neo-realism' and subsequently the 'commedia all'italiana'. Even nowadays, many of the key players of that period along with the new generation of actors and directors still meet there every Wednesday evening to discuss cinema while dining and playing cards. "Otello's Secret" remembers and celebrates that particular period of cinema through the personal recollections of actors, directors, producers, screenwriters and composers who have contributed to Otello's international fame with their own special craft. Blended in with the interviews are also a few excerpts of live music exhibitions that took place in the restaurant itself with musicians and songwriters the likes of Donovan.